It is imperitive that horse owners or anyone who rides or handles horses know the vital signs of their equine partners. Just like us, we have days where we feel a little out of sorts and so do horses, but noticing when your horse is feeling unwell is a vital part of caring for them. By checking your horse's vital signs regularly you are able to assess when he is not himself and should he require veterinary assistance. Learning these things about your horse mean he can rely on you to judge when something is wrong at the earliest stage.

The vital signs to check are TEMPERATURE, HEART RATE, RESPIRATION RATE, CAPILLIRAY REFILL TIME, HYDRATION RATE, INTENSTINAL SOUNDS and MUCOUS MEMBRANES.

TEMPERATURE
Taking the horse's temperature is easy to do but not particularly pleasurable for the horse as it needs to be done rectally. Most don't mind but some horses don't like it, so do take care. If you are dealing with a particularly agitated horse or a known 'kicker' it is advisable to do this proceedure standing behind a clsed stable door with the horse backed up to it. You should lubricate the thermometre with petroleum jelly or vaseline so it is easy to insert and to be super cautious, attached a piece of string to the end of the thermometer to make sure you don't lose it! Plastic digital thermometers are great as they bleep when they are ready. mercury-type thermometers will need approximately 3 minutes before you can read an accurate temperature. Make sure that you shake these thermometers before use to shake the mercury to the tip.

Someone should hold the horse or with him tied up, stand at his rump and face his tail. Move his tail to the side and insert the thermometer slowly slightly facing downwards. After 3 minutes or when your digital thermometer bleeps, remove and read the temperature.

Normal temperature in a healthy horses is 99 - 101ºF. This can vary by 3º depending on the weather conditions or if the horse is stressed or hot after exercise. Also they are likely to have a slightly higher temperature in the afternoon than in the morning. Make sure you take regular temperatures at the same time during the day when doing your regular checks. If your horse's temperature is higher than 99 - 101ºF, this may indicate there is an infection.

Always clean the thermometer after each use to reduce the risk of infection.

HEART RATE
At rest, the adult horse's heart rate averages between 30-40bpm. The rate can increase due to stress, disease, pain, or if the horse is anxious or excited. After/during exercise it is obvious that the heart rate will increase. Checking the horse's pulse can be done by pressing forefinger near the front of the left jawbone where there is a major artery or on the inside of the foreleg level with the knee joint. The pulse can also be found behind the horse's left elbow - a stethescope is more useful for this area. Never use your thumb as you may well find your own pulse and not your horse's. They easiest way is to use a watch to count how many beats per 15 seconds and then multiply it by four to give your per-minute rate. Anything higher than a pulse rate of 50bpm at rest is a sure sign of physical distress and anything over 60pbm requires veterinary assistance.

RESPIRATION RATE
The respiration rate increases during hotter weather, after/during exersice or if the horse is suffering a fever or pain. Usual rate is 8-15 breathes per minute. The easiest way to check your horse's breathing rate is by standing at his shoulder looking towards his flanks. Simply watch his belly and you'll see it expand and relax with each breath. Count each inward breath (note each breath is one inward and one owtward breath together) for one minute to determine his respiritary rate.

CAPILLIRAY REFILL TIME (CRF)
This is the amount of time it takes for the blood to return to the gum tissue - a good indicator of blood circulation. Pressing firmly on the gums with a finger or thumb above the corner incisor for a couple of seconds will create a white mark. This should return to fleshy pink as the blood refills to that area between 1 and 2 seconds. If it takes longer than this the horse could have a hydration issue be suffering from shock. The horses gums should be a fleshy pink colour, although slightly paler than human gums. If the gums appear to be discoloured; pale yellow, bluey-grey or a dark red, you should consult your vet.

HYDRATION RATE
You can determine a dehydrated horse one of two ways. The first is the CRF test as above. The second is a skin pinch test. Pinch a section of skin around the point of the shoulder and neck base and hold for a few seconds. Release the skin and it will either go back to normal immediately, showing normal response, or it will take a a while to go back to normal. In this instance the horse will more than likey be dehydrated.

INTENSTINAL SOUNDS
There should always be gut sounds that come from your horse's stomach and intestines. When there seems to be the abscence of gut sounds, this is normally cause for concern and more indicative of a problem, usually indicating colic. Veterinarians should be called if there are no intestinal sounds for a period of time. Checking for gut sounds is simple to do with either a stethoscope or simply by pressing your ear against your horse's side, just behind his last rib. A healthy horse should have good gurgling noises which you should hear from both sides of the horse.

MUCOUS MEMBRANES
The colour of the musous membranes (the horse's eyelids, gums and the inside of the nostrils) are an indicator of blood circulation. If the horse's gums appear very pale, bright red, grey/blue or yellow, or have the appearance of small broken blood vessels, veterinary assistance is required. A healthy horse's gums are slightly more pale than that of humans but should be a healthy pink. A guide for reference:
Moist Pink: Healthy circulation.
Very Pale Pink: Capillaries contracted, indicating a fever, blood loss or anemia.
Bright Red: Capillaries enlarged,, also a shock type condition with toxicity.
Purple/Blue: Low oxygen levels or serious toxicosis. Severe shock, depression or illness.
Overly Yellow: Gums are normally slightly yellow - overly yellow associated with liver problems.

If you have any helpful advice which you would like to share with other readers, please email us at enquiries@manedealer.com